Nora Imperl had high expectations coming into her sophomore season as a runner on the Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Track & Field Team. After all, she was coming off an impressive freshmen season and looking for bigger and better things in 2015-16.
Imperl (Greenfield, Wis.) was an All-NACC performer her rookie season with the Falcons in cross country and performed well in the track & field as well, especially considering the 2014-15 season was her first time competing in the sport, ever. Certainly the sophomore had high expectations for this season. Improving upon her conference finish in cross country, as well as reaching new personal records (PRs) and top finishes were sights Imperl had her eyes set on. However, the beginning of the 2015 cross country season didn't go to plan. Times were slower, and something seemed off for the Falcons runner.
"During one of our first two-mile time trials my time wasn't what I wanted it to be, but I didn't really worry about that," Imperl said. "Then we had our first meet and I was two minutes slower than I was last year."
At first Imperl thought her training was off. After all, despite the early success in her career she was by all measures, still relatively new to the sport. It wasn't until September 26 at the Roy Griak Invitational that Imperl really started to worry, when she ran a 28:36.5, which was nearly five minutes slower than her time at the 2014 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Cross Country Championships.
"Coach [Russ De Lap] talked me into getting my iron checked," Imperl said when discussing her early-season struggles. "My iron level was around a 24, which is really low. It is supposed to be between 60 and 160. My ferritin levels, which provide oxygen to your blood were really low as well."
So here was Imperl, expecting great things in 2015-16, especially in cross country where she had excelled a season before, having her training cut midway through the season. She needed to change some things in her diet as well and even missed two events during the season. In addition to having her training cut a bit, Imperl started taking some iron supplementation as well as eating more iron-rich foods, such as spinach. She kept working to increase her iron levels, which allowed her to improve her workouts in time for the 2015 NACC Cross Country Championships.
This is where Imperl's sophomore season really turned around. On October 31, on CUW's campus, Imperl repeated her 15th-place finish at the NACC Cross Country Championships. Two weeks later at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional she would run a PR time of 22:51.5, nearly six minutes faster than what she ran in September at the Roy Griak. She also helped the Falcons to their best ever finish at the Midwest Regional. And if you think that is impressive, her track season in 2016 was even better.
Imperl continued to keep her iron levels where they needed to be and became a recognizable figure during the 2016 Track & Field season in the NACC. During the indoor season she delivered perhaps the gutsiest performance of all the runners at the NACC Indoor Championships. She ran four events which totaled 10,400 meters. Imperl was second in the 5,000, third in the 3,000 (which was her last race of the day), third in the 800 and seventh in the mile. She scored points for the Falcons in all four events.
"I think a positive attitude is really important," stated Imperl when asked about what it takes to run multiple distance events in one day. "I can't really beat myself down if I get deterred in one thing. You have to take it race by race and really have to focus on just trying to score points in each race."
After the incredible performance at the NACC Indoor Championships, Imperl turned it to another level at the 2016 NACC Outdoor Championships this past weekend. Over the two-day event she ran four events once again, scoring 29 points, which resulted in her being named the NACC Track Athlete of the Meet. Imperl won the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finished second in the 5,000, third in the 1,500 and fourth in the 800. Those accomplishments for any student-athlete over the first two years of their collegiate careers would be impressive. When you consider Imperl hadn't started running until joining the cross country team her senior year of high school, her achievements become even more impressive.
"I played soccer (spring season) all four years of high school," said Imperl. "The summer before my senior year a few girls on the cross country team convinced me to come out running a few times and the convinced me to join the team."
Imperl's high school teammate, sophomore Alyssa Woo, was coming to CUW to run persuaded Imperl to come out for the team. She would meet with head coach Russ De Lap and from there Imperl would start impressing all those who saw her run. Now with half of her career completed and remaining, she has even bigger goals to check off the list.
"I want to become an All-Region runner for cross country. I know Marya [Haegler] made it there this season and I want to follow in her footsteps," Imperl proclaimed when discussing her future goals. "I really would like to make it to Nationals and want to help CUW win conference."
With the success Imperl has had in her first two seasons, just her second and third years running competitively, it would be foolish to doubt her as she continues her career with the Falcons.
